• Salary level circa $75,000 - $115,000 plus Super (10.5%)
• Location: Katherine Based with frequent travel to remote communities

What’s on offer

This is a truly unique opportunity for you to escape the daily grind of city work and make a genuine difference to some of the most remote communities in Australia. Unlike other community engagement efforts that focus on collating feedback from communities after a methodology has been developed, this role will see you proactively engaging with the locals to ensure their needs and cultural imperatives are informing the overall approach.

This role comes with an attractive salary circa $75,000 – $115,000 (dependent on your qualifications, skills, and experience) PLUS super and salary sacrificing options.

You will also have access to fantastic benefits including:

• Relocation assistance up to $3000
• Up to $15,000 Salary Sacrifice
• Generous 6 weeks of annual leave
• Travel allowance provided when working away from Katherine (including accommodation)
• Work/Life/Study Balance: 2 weeks of study leave available!

The opportunity

In this role, you will work closely with the UQ Research team to ensure the needs of the community are informing the university's ongoing research projects in the region. This will influence UQ's subsequent intervention strategies, designed and developed following extensive consultations with the community. This is a truly unique opportunity for someone passionate about advancing the health outcomes of remote Aboriginal communities, who is looking to work alongside reputable researchers such as Professor James Ward, a prolific infectious diseases epidemiologist and a national leader in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander research.

Working closely with the UQ Senior Research Associate, your core duties will fall within the following themes:

• Recruit and onboard Aboriginal staff to conduct the study
• Develop and coordinate consultation groups
• Develop and review study activities and focus groups.
• Contribute to the design, implementation, and evaluation of the overall study
• Ensure the study proceeds locally according to the study protocols
• Liaise and meet regularly with the UQ research team to discuss overall progress as per the research protocol
• Other duties within their skill set as required

You will also liaise with a wide range of stakeholders and meet regularly with the UQ research team to discuss the overall project and current timelines.

Please note: This role will involve regular travel, typically spending at least half of your time out in surrounding remote communities, staying overnight and travelling via 4WD, dirt roads and light aircraft as required.

Selection Criteria

Essential:

• Exceptional communication skills and significant experience working within a cross cultural environment (ideally Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples).
• Demonstrated ability to work in a culturally safe and appropriate manner with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
• Demonstrated ability to strategically project manage the study process and its implementation to meet project deadlines.
• Excellent problem-solving and organisational skills.
• Demonstrated capacity to collaborate effectively and harmoniously within a team environment.
• Ability to work independently in the field and as part of the team.
• Hold or can hold a NT Working with Children clearance (Ochre card) and criminal history clearance.
• Current manual NT Driver’s License (or ability to obtain).
• Ability and willingness to travel in the Katherine West region by 4WD or light aircraft

Desirable:

• Significant experience and excellent knowledge of sexual health.
• Recognised qualification in a health-related discipline.
• Experience working in remote health.
• Previous experience in research and project implementation.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are strongly encouraged to apply.

About the community

Where the outback meets the rainforest, Katherine is the Crossroads of Australia’s North. A region full of misty waterfalls and untouched gorges, the Northern Territory’s third largest town has a population of over 10,000 and is just 3 hours’ drive from Darwin, in a naturally stunning part of the Top End. With outstanding weather conditions and average temperatures around 18 - 32°c, the town attracts visitors from around the world, providing ample opportunity for locals and tourists alike to experience unique natural wonders, sports, leisure, and entertainment, all in a landscape coloured by incredible sunsets.

Katherine is a thriving modern regional centre and services the areas of Pine Creek, Mataranka, Borooloola, Daly River and Timber Creek. There are plenty of facilities, including a modern shopping complex and boutique stores, a hospital and schools, several sports grounds, as well as numerous parks and gardens and excellent fishing spots, to provide a comfortable living experience for all. You can experience events like the Walking with Spirits Festival and the prestigious Katherine Show, or unwind and take a dip in the Katherine Hot Springs.